Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-04-27
JAPANESE ARTISTS.
They Insist on = Thorough knowledge Of
the Object Which They Reprodaoe.

1hey Insist on = Thorough knowledge Of
the Object Which They Reproduce
IAmerican Arkl
The rich and powerful Duke Of Hosso.
kawa once invited q celebrated bronze
worker to his court and asked him TO make
asword-guard Of the finest shakudo (gold-
bronze), to be ornamented with an autumn
landscape and an or in the foreground. II
was Just after the usual new years festi-
val Of nine days, when no one does anv
thing like labor Of any kind, that the artist
arrived He went to work with q will,
mixed his metals, made his designs, passed
on TO the engraving and inlaying, and in
three or four months had his sword-guard
nearly completed. In fact, with the ex-
ception Of the figure Of the OK to be inlaid,
1t was done, to the full satisfaction of the
Duke, who, whenever he inspected il, was
more than pleased
But here all at once the artist was
seized with q fit Of laziness. Instead Of
completing his task he took his book, his
pipe and tobacco, and day after day went
out into q green lane leading into the
country, and sitting down in the
grass ly the roadside amused him.
self smoking, reading and look
ing at the countrymen coming into town
with their horses and cattle. Month after
month passed by, the artist drawing his
allowance with the most praiseworthy
regularity, spending his days in such idle
ness, and his evenings in drinking wine
with his colleagues, as was the custom.
The summer had thus passed by and the
year had well gone into September when,
at last, the Dukes patience was slightly
rufled. Ordering the artist to be called
into his presence, he asked him why, for
nearly five months, he had not even made
pretense Of completing the order intrust-
ed to him.
II could not, your Highness," was the
reply.
"And why could you notr was the
query.
'Your Highness asked me to make an
autumn landscape with an OK in the fore
ground. had never made such a CON-
bination before. When it came TO making
the animal knew not whether the ex-
preston Of its face in autumn might not
be different from what it is at other sea-
sons Of the year. have been out to where
the herds Of cattle come in, watching them
through the late spring, through summer,
and now when autumn was begun, and ii
was necessary that / should do so. / am
nearly ready NOW, and in q short time will
complete your Highness' order.n,
Shintaro Shosho, Duke of Bizen, sent
Hanabusa Itcho, the celebrated artist Of
Yeddo, a request for picture, the subject
to be q flight of hototogisu winging theft
way across the face of the full moon. The
request was accompanied by q purse Oh
five hundred gold rio (dollars). Such Q
commission at that time could be consid-
cred fully equal to Vanderbilt or an As
tor nowadays sending q request for a pict
ure to Meissonier or Munkacsy, accom-
panied by preliminary check for twenty
five thousand dollars. The Duke waited
full year for his picture, and when no pict-
ure and no reply cs.me, as a ge1tle hint
that he was still waiting, he sent the artist
another purse of five hundred gold rio
This time the answer was not delayed. II
came at once, and with 1t were returned
the Dukes one thousand gold RIO The
artist replied that ever since receiving his
Highness' command he had watched at the
period of every full moon for q good op-
portunity to make the requisite study
from nature, but had not yet succeeded in
being fortunate enough to do so. 1t was
impossible TO say when he would be able
to do it; it might take him five, ten or If
teen years; it might be that he would never
see fight Of such birds in such a way as
to be able to reproduce them correctly, and
he therefore returned the Dukes mag
nifcent present. He would make it his
business to diligently watch for such an
opportunity, and if it came would make
the drawing at once and send il to the
Duke, who could then remu nercte him as
he chose.
For many years lived in tho outskirts
OF Yokohama, in the Japanese portion of
the town, on hill where the official resi-
dences are located. At the foot of it was
o large Government coal yard, where hun
dreds of coolies worked twelve hours a
day carrying baskets Of coal on their backs
from the yard to the boats in the canal OBJ
posite. Their wages were from twenty
two to twenty-eight cents day, paid every
day. When they quit work a number Of
itinerant peddlers were waiting for them
on the street to get part of their earn
ings. And what had they for salef Fruit
Of course, and sweetmeats, ETC., but full
third of them probably offered flowers,
bits Of painted pottery (often badly
cracked and broken), illustrated books,
pictures and sketches. Hundreds of times
have l seen group OF two or three coal
begrimed coolies discuss the merits Of O
sketch costing two or three cents, or OF O
painted broken pot costing half as much.